COLUMBIA, S.C. — Sunday evening, residents in Saluda and Lexington counties saw severe storms drop large hail.
Hannah Pocock was driving down US 378 in Lexington County when she says the weather started to take a turn for the worse.
"I thought, huh, that's some hard rain, and then it dawned on me that it actually wasn't rain and most of it was hail... mostly just a rush of trying to find a tree to pull underneath and pray that the tree or branches didn't come down on us.
Pocock says that her car did sustain damage including dents and a cracked windshield from the storm.
As for homes, roofers were getting plenty of calls about potential roof damage in the region.
Michael Baker an Insurance Specialist with Capital Palmetto Builders says hail can be devastating
“[it] can cause catastrophic damage to the home, to personal property such as automobiles, AC units, any soft metal is going to be affected if it is small or large hail.”
According to the National Weather Service, areas in Lexington County saw 2 inch hail fall Sunday evening. That is close to the size of golf balls.
Hail unlike other forms of severe weather can cause damage that can go largely unnoticed until it is too late.
Ivan Huerta a project manager with Capital Palmetto Builders says while larger hail can cause sizable holes in a roof it is the smaller holes that can cause issues.
“Some customers may not see any damage right now and go on vacation and when the come back and there is water damage everywhere.”
Any visible damage from the hail should be checked out by a contractor according to Ivan.
Both Baker and Huerta say that people in areas that saw large hail Sunday should be weary of people trying to scam those with damage. Things like asking for full payment up front, or a company that has no credible website could be a warning sign of somebody trying to take advantage of the situation.